Maintaining a power grid like a well-oiled machine

By Mark Parker CEC President & CEO

When we buy a vehicle, we are seeking safe and dependable transportation for ourselves and our family. That reliability, however, depends on routine maintenance long after the initial purchase. While Covington Electric Cooperative’s distribution system is much larger and more complex than what is parked in your driveway, the importance of proper maintenance is similar.

Vice Chairman

CEC has provided power to our members for nearly 80 years. We built an electrical distribution system with about 2,700 miles of power lines valued at $176 million. That value extends beyond the physical components of the grid to the critical services it provides, like keeping our homes cool, powering our businesses and schools — to name just a few.

To retain that incredible resource for our communities, the system and the environment around it requires proper routine maintenance. That responsibility falls to your electric co-op.

Monumental task

Headquarters: 18836 U.S. Highway 84

Andalusia, AL 36421

334-222-4121

1-800-239-4121

Fax: 334-222-1546

Main/Enterprise Office Hours: 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday

Report Power Outages

1-800-239-1193 covington.coop

This year we expect to spend $2 million cutting 497 miles of rights of way to stay on track with our five-year maintenance rotation. We will trim overhanging tree branches and overgrown grass and brush and remove any other obstructions. We maintain a 40-foot right of way for our power lines, poles, transformers and other equipment.

Meanwhile, CEC proactively manages trees and other vegetation that pose a threat to the reliability of the electrical system. Crews will remove dead pines and other nuisance trees throughout the service area.

This is a big task, but it’s one of the most important things we do to ensure your lights stay on. Fallen trees and broken branches are the main causes of power outages during severe weather. Heavy winds can easily uproot vulnerable trees that then fall onto power lines or knock down poles.

We also inspect power poles annually to identify those in need of replacement, much like we replace car tires when they go bald or break down. Inspectors also treat poles to limit decay and extend their life, saving the cooperative time and money down the road.

Technological edge

As our system has grown, CEC uses advanced technology to improve power reliability. For example, we install reclosers — an automatic switch that interrupts electric power when trouble occurs and can restore power automatically if the problem safely resolves itself. Since most trouble is temporary, like a wayward limb or squirrel entangled with the high-voltage line, power is returned quickly without needing to dispatch a crew.

In the last couple of years, we also connected substations with fiber optic cables that provide high-speed broadband to allow the co-op to identify system failures and restore power quicker than ever

We can’t control the climate or wildlife, so we cannot guarantee you will never experience a power outage. But, we can promise we are doing everything we can to maintain an electric system that, like a well-oiled machine, provides the service and reliability you deserve. n

Remember to join us virtually April 6, at 3 p.m. for the CEC Annual Meeting. All members should have received their ballot packages by mail in March.

APRIL 6